The perfect Christmas Present
by Errol's Feather
Summary: Cora is about to spend her first Christmas with Robert and his family and she wants to give him the perfect gift. The trouble is to finding something for a man that got everything.


_**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Downton Abbey and I don't own any money from it. _**  
><strong>_

_**Authors Note: **_The original title on this one was Merry Christmas Robert, but I figured I would change it to something more fitting :o)

_**Authors Note 2: **_Watching the show I noticed Robert got a dog and I figured it would have been nice if that was a gift from Cora :o)

To all the ones that love Downton Abbey Merry Christmas to you all :o)

* * *

><p><em><strong>The perfect Christmas Present <strong>_

Cora Levinson knew for a fact that in the beginning she had not loved her Robert as much as she did now. In fact she had only agreed to get engaged of necessary purposes for them both. She knew her wealth could save her husband's future and she would in time get a title which was a good thing for her.

As she looked down at the engagement ring she sighed wondering what she would give him for Christmas. What could you really give a man that had everything?

Because she knew for a fact he did, then again so did she. That however didn't change the fact that she was going to spend the first Christmas with him and his family and she wanted to give him something great. Maybe to try to make him happy or simply to impress her future mother and father-in-law.

She slowly got up from her chair and walked around in the library of the Abbey, the Abbey that in time would become her home once they were married, but for now she was just a visitor.

She took out a book from one of the shelves when she heard Violet Crawley's voice from the hallway and decided to hide behind the door to listen. Not the best plan, but it was what she had.

"Even if you should happen to marry her for her money, even you could have done better," she heard Violet's voice.

"She's a nice lady, she got money, she can produce and heir, what more do you want mother," she heard Robert say.

Cora couldn't hear a reply to this, only the footsteps going down the hallway until they reached the stairway by the end of it. The young woman sighed as she slowly turned a page in the book trying to distract her mind from the conversation she had just heard.

She of course knew that Violet didn't like her very much, that had never been a secret or very much concealed. She never got why, until she heard her harsh words. They of course could be harsher, but still…

The young woman got up again from her chair, leaving the room in a haste deciding that she would not come back until she had found Robert the perfect gift. She didn't care how long it would take, but considering she did not have a clue on what to get she assumed for a while.

* * *

><p>Christmas Eve to Cora seemed like a disaster. The dinner itself was fine; the only trouble was that the conversations were no more than polite. The same of course went with coffee. After that Violet and her husband withdraw leaving the young ones on their own.<p>

Robert looked over at his companion; she was looking both tired and troubled. He got up from his chair, only to sit down next to her on the beige couch asking, "Is something wrong, love?"

She looked at him a bit surprised as it was one of the seldom times he used a pet name rather than her name. He smiled at her shocked expression saying, "You are my companion, so I can call you other than your name."

"I know that Robert, and it's just it didn't turn out like I planned," she said with a sigh.

"You had too high expectations," he said, his eyes showing more tenderness than usual.

"I did," she said.

"They'll come around," he said.

"Are you sure, your mother seems to hate me," she said honestly.

"I wouldn't say hate and I am," he promised.

"I hope so," she said thoughtfully.

He nodded, leaning in to kiss her before saying, "Do you wish to go to bed?"

"Do you?" she asked back, suddenly feeling more exhausted than she had in the longest time.

"I do yes," he said, slowly getting up and offering her his hand, making her get up as well, taking it and following him to his chambers.

As the clock downstairs stroked midnight, Robert got suddenly woken up. He sat of halfway in the bed he was sharing with his Cora, leaning over to look at her. She was peacefully sleeping, her dark brown hair sprawled around her head instead of being in a braid as it usually would be while she was sleeping.

Her hands resting upon her belly, he smiled, wondering if she would look like that when she was pregnant. He slowly bent his head and let his lips touch those of his wife-to-be.

She slowly came to her senses, looking at him with confused eyes saying, "Robert, what's the matter, why have you woken me this late?"

"Because it's Christmas, merry Christmas, dear," he whispered, kissing her again.

Cora blushed mildly saying "Merry Christmas, Robert, so do you wish for your present now as we are awake, or later when your parents are as well?"

"What do you wish?" she wanted to know.

"For us to do it in private," he said honestly.

"I wish for the same," she said with a smile, bending over to give him a kiss.

As he backed away he saw nothing but love in her blue green eyes as she was smiling ever so warmly at him. He couldn't help but to feel a warm inside as he said, "I got your gift right here."

"I got to get yours, can you give me some moments?" she asked him, slowly pushing the cover aside to get out of his warm bed.

"I can as long as you promise to come back," he said.

"You know I will, where else would I sleep," she said, wiggling her eye brows.

He didn't respond to this, just watch her leave the room, wondering what she had gotten him.

* * *

><p>Young Robert waiting for what felt like forever for his beloved. As that what he considered her to be, even if he was not yet in love with her that way, there was no woman he would hold higher than his Cora. There was for that matter no other woman he could consider spending his life with or have children with as she seemed to be full filling his every need.<p>

As the door slowly opened he could hear her soft voice whisper, "Can you please close your eyes, as this was impossible to wrap."

He did it more to humor her than anything else, feeling her get back into his bed, and that she had something life like with her. He frowned, only hoping it was not a cat as he didn't care much for them.

"Open," she said, gently kissing his rough cheek.

Robert opened them and gasped looking at a little puppy on Cora's lap. It was without a doubt the cutest thing he had ever seen. He looked at her asking, "Why would you give me something like this?"

"Well you like walking and I figured you could use some company, you could train him for hunting as well. It's just you have everything, but not a proper dog and I think that it would do you good to have one. Please say you don't hate it," she said, looking at him with insecure eyes.

"No, hardly, I actually love it, it's the greatest gift ever given to me," he said and smiled, taking the little dog in his arm and stroking it very lovingly. She of course never knew he had always wanted a dog, but never gotten one because his mother felt they were too much trouble.

"I'm glad," she said, smiling back at him.

"If you take him, so I can reach for yours," he said, handing the little dog back to her. She gladly took it while he reached into a drawer in his dresser, picking out a gift and handing it over before taking his dog back.

Cora looked at it with curious eyes, only to open it moments later and finding a book inside. Her eyes was shining with excitement, she was expecting to get jewelry, but this was just as great. She smiled at him saying, "Thank you so much, Robert, I love it."

"I'm glad, I was just worried you might have it already, considering how much I see you read," he said.

"I don't have it," she assured him as she didn't. And as she looked into his loving eyes she figured that Christmas hadn't turned out all that bad after all. As they again snuggled up in each other's arms, the dog between them she felt truly lucky and not to mention happy to be his.

* * *

><p>When Violet came to wake them for breakfast early the next morning, she found them still sleeping closely, the little dog on top of his new master. She frowned a bit, then closed the door figuring she would let them sleep for a while longer and that Cora might not be as bad after all considering she was just the woman to find what her son needed. That and she seemed to make him happy from what she had seen, and that was more than any mother could ask for.<p>

* * *

><p>Feedback always welcome and very much appreciated :o)<p> 


End file.
